Another thing I am quite interested in is icehockey. But only NHL and none of those boring European leagues. I pretty much like the Buffalo Sabres, the team of fellow Austrian Thomas Vanek. He was drafted 2003 as overall #5 pick in the 1st round by the team from the state of New York. Last season they surprised almost every expert and made their way right into the Conference finals (similar to the semifinals in other sports). Being haunted by some serious injury problems within their defensive lines (during those seven games against later Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes) they were forced to play without four of their top5-defenders during the semifinals. And nonetheless it was a tight and close battle they unluckily lost.
This season, the Sabres are the hottest team in the NHL, winning six games out of their opening six games, scoring unbelievable 31 goals. Yesterday the Flyers from Phily had to suffer from the strength of their opponents, being trashed 1-9. Those are the scorers from yesterday (TV played in a line with Derek Roy [2G] and "Max" Afinogenov [1G 4A]):
1-0 Vanek (Max, Numminen)
2-0 Spacek (Briere, Numminen)
3-0 Drury (Gaustad, Briere)
4-0 Roy (Vanek)
5-0 Tallinder (Lydman, Max)
6-0 Max (Kotalik)
7-1 Roy (Max, Vanek)
8-1 Novotny (Kotalik, Lydman) 9-1 Vanek (Max, Campbell)
It seems like Vanek finally arrived in the NHL after a quite sloppy first season - he made nearly 50 points, but his +/- stats were awfully bad and his defensive play was disliked very much by his coach, Lindy Ruff (the longest active coach at the same team in the NHL). So he was dropped to the bench before the deciding playoff games last season - which seemingly incited him more than it disappointed him. Now he's already +5 up and has scored three goals and four assists within only six games so far. I believe that he can become a true (super?)star - not only measured by Austrian standards, but also by NHL standards. He's only 22 years old and has got the speed, the endurance and the technique to outplay almost every opponent. Nevermind, he will probably never reach the level of Ovechkin or Crosby (two very much hyped wizkids), but if you ask me he's up for 60-70 points every season (excluding playoff stats).
I also very much appreciate the Toronto Maple Leafs, although they are a direct opponent of the Sabres in the Northeast Division. But considering the facts that I love the city of Toronto and that my father brought me some memorabilia from his trip to Canada in 2000, I have to slur over all of that rivalry by those two teams from the North and the South side of Lake Ontario. Mats Sundin, the Swedish captain of the Leafs, has lately reached the 500 career goalmark by scoring the deciding OT goal shorthanded (!) against the Calgary Flames last Saturday. I'd really love to see both teams playing each other in the Eastern Conference Finals. Since Premiere has lost its rights to broadcast NHL games, I pretty much get into watching streams on the internet - well, the quality could well be improved, but nonetheless you get to see all the action and furthermore many funny American TV ad's. Especially, I love these two which connect both advantages:
Peter Forsberg - Game On!
Jonathan Cheechoo - Game On!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Snow Patrol, II
I now can proudly present my very own review of the concert of Snow Patrol. At 2.30 PM I left Ried and via regional train, fast train and Intercity Express I arrived in Vienna at 5.30 PM. A friend of mine fetched me up at the terminal and afterwards we went to a nice little restaurant near the Schottentor, where we drank a beer and ate a little bit. At 7.50 PM we finally arrived at the Wien-Arena in the Eastern part of Vienna, near the Gasometer-towers.
After doing the routine stuff (buying a tour-shirt, going to toilet, drinking another beer) we entered the hall, where an Irish soloperformer called Declan O'Rourke was just about to stop playing. Before singing the last song he said, that he would have already sold all of his CD's the day before so there would be no CD's available that day. Well, nevermind. The group performing before the main event called themselves The Cinematics. A very British poprock band from Glasgow, inevitably sounding like their role models from the same town - Franz Ferdinand. But nonetheless the vibes went up and their show was very okay.
At about 9.10 PM the lights went out and the band everyone was waiting for finally entered the stage, intoning a soft and smooth "doo doooo" - and within a few seconds SP fans knew what was coming up first - "Spitting Games", the song where I posted the lyrics in my last article. "Wow" was the bridge passage to my personal highlight of the evening, "Chocolate", one of my favourite songs of all time - the crowd seemed to like it in a same way, you could clearly hear many (flashy) voices singing along with Gary (the leadsinger). Recapitulating - the first three songs of the evening springed from their 2004 hitalbum "Final Straw".
Afterwards a bunch of new songs were performed, starting with a very impressive "It's Beginning To Get To Me", where not only the couple standing right next to me was heavily kissing during the climax of the song. "Headlights On Dark Roads" was dedicated to the "beautiful city of Vienna" where the band performed the very first time last Sunday. The next song, "Make This Go On Forever" was again dedicated to somebody, this time to Declan O'Rourke and The Cinematics for touring with them. "Gazed Knees" was inducing the maybe best known song these times, "Chasing Cars", where the crowd was REALLY going wild for the first time. The last lines of the song, ".. if I just lay here (2x), would you lie with me, and just forget the world?" were exclusively sung by the crowd, clearly to the delight of the band at a quite high volume.
Photo (I do not have or claim the rights for it) taken from a nice review on FM4 that can be found here.
After having featured "Shut Your Eyes", the ever-popular "How To Be Dead", "Somewhere A Clock is Ticking", "Gleaming Auction" and finally "Ways & Means" (all from the Final Straw album) made the way to the last two songs before the encore. At first their maybe greatest hit ever, "Run", was intoned - starting slowly just to end up exploding massively at the climax. Again, the last lines "... light up, light up, as if you had a choice, even if you cannot hear my voice, I'll be right beside you dear" were sung exclusively by the crowd, and again with success. "You're All That I Have", the first hitsingle of the current album rounded the basic part of an amazing concert. For the encore, "Open Your Eyes" and "Tiny Little Fractures" had been chosen and I was surprised, that it was NOT halfhearted as mentioned in the other article. They sumed up a 99%-perfect concert that managed to come clearly amongst my top3- concerts of all time.
After doing the routine stuff (buying a tour-shirt, going to toilet, drinking another beer) we entered the hall, where an Irish soloperformer called Declan O'Rourke was just about to stop playing. Before singing the last song he said, that he would have already sold all of his CD's the day before so there would be no CD's available that day. Well, nevermind. The group performing before the main event called themselves The Cinematics. A very British poprock band from Glasgow, inevitably sounding like their role models from the same town - Franz Ferdinand. But nonetheless the vibes went up and their show was very okay.
At about 9.10 PM the lights went out and the band everyone was waiting for finally entered the stage, intoning a soft and smooth "doo doooo" - and within a few seconds SP fans knew what was coming up first - "Spitting Games", the song where I posted the lyrics in my last article. "Wow" was the bridge passage to my personal highlight of the evening, "Chocolate", one of my favourite songs of all time - the crowd seemed to like it in a same way, you could clearly hear many (flashy) voices singing along with Gary (the leadsinger). Recapitulating - the first three songs of the evening springed from their 2004 hitalbum "Final Straw".
Afterwards a bunch of new songs were performed, starting with a very impressive "It's Beginning To Get To Me", where not only the couple standing right next to me was heavily kissing during the climax of the song. "Headlights On Dark Roads" was dedicated to the "beautiful city of Vienna" where the band performed the very first time last Sunday. The next song, "Make This Go On Forever" was again dedicated to somebody, this time to Declan O'Rourke and The Cinematics for touring with them. "Gazed Knees" was inducing the maybe best known song these times, "Chasing Cars", where the crowd was REALLY going wild for the first time. The last lines of the song, ".. if I just lay here (2x), would you lie with me, and just forget the world?" were exclusively sung by the crowd, clearly to the delight of the band at a quite high volume.
Photo (I do not have or claim the rights for it) taken from a nice review on FM4 that can be found here.After having featured "Shut Your Eyes", the ever-popular "How To Be Dead", "Somewhere A Clock is Ticking", "Gleaming Auction" and finally "Ways & Means" (all from the Final Straw album) made the way to the last two songs before the encore. At first their maybe greatest hit ever, "Run", was intoned - starting slowly just to end up exploding massively at the climax. Again, the last lines "... light up, light up, as if you had a choice, even if you cannot hear my voice, I'll be right beside you dear" were sung exclusively by the crowd, and again with success. "You're All That I Have", the first hitsingle of the current album rounded the basic part of an amazing concert. For the encore, "Open Your Eyes" and "Tiny Little Fractures" had been chosen and I was surprised, that it was NOT halfhearted as mentioned in the other article. They sumed up a 99%-perfect concert that managed to come clearly amongst my top3- concerts of all time.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Snow Patrol
The following entry is completely dedicated to Snow Patrol, my favourite music group for a reasonably long period of time. You may ask yourself now - hey, what about U2? Well, it's always about the bands BESIDES them. Actually, both have something in common, at least to my person. In June 2004, when I travelled over to Dublin with two friends, Snow Patrol was in the honourable duty to warmup the crowd by playing right before U2. Northern Ireland met Ireland, and they both guaranteed me a highly unforgettable evening on this rainy and windy day back then in June (however, it was my birthday as well).
But now back to topic, as I mentioned before that this posting would TOTALLY be dedicated to SP. Next Sunday (October 15th) SP will be coming to Vienna and will be playing a gig in the Vienna Arena. Initially they should have featured at the Frequency Festival in August, but since the band was touring the United States back then, this was impossible and the gig in October during their current European tour was agreed.
Their songs are highly melancholic and melodic at the same time, and the lyrics are simply beautiful and you start thinking about them. I like to hear SP best whenever I go running, especially in autumn/winter when it's getting cold and dark outside pretty soon. Why? Because it perfectly matches my mood then most of the time. You want to have an example? Well, alright, the following part of the lyrics of Spitting Games (2004) amazingly described my "relationship" to a girl for some time:
Well, nevermind. The times they are a' changing, as Bob Dylan used to sing a long time ago. I have to admit, not all of their songs are melancholic and dramatic as I may have mentioned above, some new ones are fast paced as well. So I could say "it's in the mix". After a short google-search I found their setlist at a concert in the USA, the picture you can see on the left beneath.
It starts full of verve, gets melancholic then and after a romantic part maybe their best known songs, "You're all I have" and "Run" make up the end of the concert.
The encore seems a bit halfhearted to be, since those two songs are not very outstanding within their repertoire if you ask me. But criticising a concert before even attending it? That's not in my mind. Last but not least, some sort of appetizer from their new album, "Chasing Cars", embedded from YouTube.com:
But now back to topic, as I mentioned before that this posting would TOTALLY be dedicated to SP. Next Sunday (October 15th) SP will be coming to Vienna and will be playing a gig in the Vienna Arena. Initially they should have featured at the Frequency Festival in August, but since the band was touring the United States back then, this was impossible and the gig in October during their current European tour was agreed.
Their songs are highly melancholic and melodic at the same time, and the lyrics are simply beautiful and you start thinking about them. I like to hear SP best whenever I go running, especially in autumn/winter when it's getting cold and dark outside pretty soon. Why? Because it perfectly matches my mood then most of the time. You want to have an example? Well, alright, the following part of the lyrics of Spitting Games (2004) amazingly described my "relationship" to a girl for some time:
[...]
I'm far too shy to speak to you at school
You leave me numb and I'm not sure why
I find it easier to sit and stare
Than push my limbs out towards you right there
My heart is bursting in your perfect eyes
As blue as oceans and as pure as skies
I struggle for the words and then give up
[...]
I'm far too shy to speak to you at school
You leave me numb and I'm not sure why
I find it easier to sit and stare
Than push my limbs out towards you right there
My heart is bursting in your perfect eyes
As blue as oceans and as pure as skies
I struggle for the words and then give up
[...]
Well, nevermind. The times they are a' changing, as Bob Dylan used to sing a long time ago. I have to admit, not all of their songs are melancholic and dramatic as I may have mentioned above, some new ones are fast paced as well. So I could say "it's in the mix". After a short google-search I found their setlist at a concert in the USA, the picture you can see on the left beneath.It starts full of verve, gets melancholic then and after a romantic part maybe their best known songs, "You're all I have" and "Run" make up the end of the concert.
The encore seems a bit halfhearted to be, since those two songs are not very outstanding within their repertoire if you ask me. But criticising a concert before even attending it? That's not in my mind. Last but not least, some sort of appetizer from their new album, "Chasing Cars", embedded from YouTube.com:
Sunday, October 01, 2006
The day 74,22% of the Austrians voted, Ried played in Salzburg and many people ended up being surprised twice that day
Today I got up at noon, not knowing that today's vote would be a big surprise and disappointment for (not only) myself. Recently I talked a lot to my friends about the upcoming vote, and nearly everybody would have wished a coalition between the ÖVP and The Greens. This would have had the effect of a Green department of education and a conservative government. But as you can see at the results pictured below, Austria's future will be covered of a big shadow of uncertainty. There will probably be a big coalition and everybody was running in the last few years to stand still in near time. Well, never mind. Long live the democracy.
A big loser and three winners. Hardly anybody would have expected results like that.
And as I mentioned earlier in September, there was another exciting event today. Ried played in the Disco of Wals-Siezenheim - and surprised EVERYBODY. We managed to get a draw which was very lucky for the cans. Our players hit the crossbar three times and our forwards let many other big chances go away. So it came how it had to come, RBS managed to score the equalizer. Well normally I would be perfectly glad with a draw at the best Austrian team, but not today. This was the fifth draw in a row and we're still last in the table. But it does not look that bad, four points more and we would be 4th. Next game: Wacker (A) on the 14th of October. Objective: win the game!
A big loser and three winners. Hardly anybody would have expected results like that.
And as I mentioned earlier in September, there was another exciting event today. Ried played in the Disco of Wals-Siezenheim - and surprised EVERYBODY. We managed to get a draw which was very lucky for the cans. Our players hit the crossbar three times and our forwards let many other big chances go away. So it came how it had to come, RBS managed to score the equalizer. Well normally I would be perfectly glad with a draw at the best Austrian team, but not today. This was the fifth draw in a row and we're still last in the table. But it does not look that bad, four points more and we would be 4th. Next game: Wacker (A) on the 14th of October. Objective: win the game!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Sitting, waiting (, wishing)
Right now I'm sitting right in front of my screen (what a sensation!), waiting for the next WSOP 2006 episodes to be successfully "transferred" to my computer. Last weekend we sit out at the Rieder Wirt, playing hold'em for about three hours before we went to the football match. Afterwards we went to Hafner's, playing it for another three hours. In total, I won 13,5€ this day - not that bad. It's funny, it brings people together and maybe makes you (a little bit) richer. Wonderful occupation. Yesterday in the evening I finished reading my poker book mentioned below. Pure theory, which has to be converted into practical know-how. But that will take a lot of hands played online and on livetables...
Until the WSOP episodes finish, I am listening to the new Mando Diao album with a lot of interesting songtitles like "Welcome home, Luc Robitaille", "Killer Kaczyinski" or "Good Morning, Herr Horst". Pure rock'n roll, whereby I'm glad that I have already attended a concert of the band in November 2006 in Vienna. Really never ever sweated that much like on this evening at the Gasometer. Afterwards I went to a party where some friends of mine already had been. One pal unsuspectingly touched my t-shirt - I had been wearing during the concert I hung over the radiator to get dry - and asked me if it had been raining - well, the answer was no and he was a little bit disgusted then, hehe.
Wishing? Well I wish that my job interview next Friday will be successful and I can start working soon. In the beginning I've been enjoying something like the last holidays in my life pretty much, but lately it gets a bit boring since university starts again and autumn enters central Europe slowly but inevitably. Going back to Salzburg also opens up many possibilities like going to cinema whenever I want to.
Until the WSOP episodes finish, I am listening to the new Mando Diao album with a lot of interesting songtitles like "Welcome home, Luc Robitaille", "Killer Kaczyinski" or "Good Morning, Herr Horst". Pure rock'n roll, whereby I'm glad that I have already attended a concert of the band in November 2006 in Vienna. Really never ever sweated that much like on this evening at the Gasometer. Afterwards I went to a party where some friends of mine already had been. One pal unsuspectingly touched my t-shirt - I had been wearing during the concert I hung over the radiator to get dry - and asked me if it had been raining - well, the answer was no and he was a little bit disgusted then, hehe.
Wishing? Well I wish that my job interview next Friday will be successful and I can start working soon. In the beginning I've been enjoying something like the last holidays in my life pretty much, but lately it gets a bit boring since university starts again and autumn enters central Europe slowly but inevitably. Going back to Salzburg also opens up many possibilities like going to cinema whenever I want to.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Ready to rumble?
Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare your video tape recorders. Tonight unbelievable live standup comedy is broadcasted by ORF 1 at 22:30 PM. In detail, Mr. Hojac (=Westenthaler) will fight the Battle of Words (gestures, obscenities and lies) against Mr. "HC-Man" Strache. BZÖ against FPÖ. Orange against blue. Right wing against extreme right wing. Former party colleagues against each other. Who still cares about Tyson against Foreman, Celtic against Rangers, Yankees against Red Sox?
HC-Man. Almost as legendary as Superman
Normally I'm not that very actively interested in politics, but bizarre encounters like these have to be watched and discussed later on. The upcoming vote on the 1st of October will not be a revolution within Austrian politics, if you ask me today. SPÖ will rally behind ÖVP, the Greens will be 3rd and will go to opposition again, FPÖ manages to reach the 5%-hurdle and the BZÖ will be left out of the parliament. Another big coalition again, Schüssel will be chancellor for another four years. So why should we be voting that day anyway? I don't really know.
At least I know what I will be doing that afternoon - preparing myself to endure the torments and tortures caused by the BSE-arena in Wals-Siezenheim. The cans against my SV Ried. Another hard battle. Considering my opinion, the more interesting that day. At least, the result will be as clear and obvious as the other one. Unfortunately.
Panic at the disco...
HC-Man. Almost as legendary as Superman
Normally I'm not that very actively interested in politics, but bizarre encounters like these have to be watched and discussed later on. The upcoming vote on the 1st of October will not be a revolution within Austrian politics, if you ask me today. SPÖ will rally behind ÖVP, the Greens will be 3rd and will go to opposition again, FPÖ manages to reach the 5%-hurdle and the BZÖ will be left out of the parliament. Another big coalition again, Schüssel will be chancellor for another four years. So why should we be voting that day anyway? I don't really know.
At least I know what I will be doing that afternoon - preparing myself to endure the torments and tortures caused by the BSE-arena in Wals-Siezenheim. The cans against my SV Ried. Another hard battle. Considering my opinion, the more interesting that day. At least, the result will be as clear and obvious as the other one. Unfortunately.
Panic at the disco...
Thursday, August 31, 2006
absurd football transfers
What's the date today? 31th of August.
What's the special thing about that day? It's deadline day.
It means that today is the very last day for European football clubs to sign or sell players until the 1st of January. Normally it is a very busy day for managers, club owners and the media, but today there has not been going on that much. Except the maybe most sensational transfer since TM3 bought the rights for the UEFA Champions League (thanks to Rupert Murdoch). Alright, read it by yourself - from the BBC-News:
West Ham have pulled off a major coup by signing Argentina World Cup stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Striker Tevez, 22, and midfielder Mascherano, 22, join the Hammers from Brazilian side Corinthians on permanent deals for undisclosed fees. The Hammers are thought to have struck a deal with Media Sports Investments, who own the rights to the two players.
Tevez and Mascherano attracted interest by major European clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid or AC Milan. I am asking myself how a club like West Ham - maybe ranked something like that [------------------|------] within European top class - can afford international top stars like Tevez and Mascherano. The answer is like the British answer of everything: Roman Abramovich. It seems like the Russian billionaire (and 16th richest man on the planet Earth) is a friend of the owner from MSI and has thereby agreed some insidious business. The players are at West Ham right now and can adapt to the English way of football for at least a season. Afterwards they are poised to sign for Chelsea, which is the main toy of Abramovich. He spent like hundreds of millions of British pounds during the last three years in order to establish as the best football club in the world. Well, he succeeded in winning the last two Premier League titles, but he has yet failed to win the Champions League. In 2004 they lost to Liverpool and in 2005 they were owned by Spanish side Barcelona.
This is like U2 or Coldplay going on stage at the Intersport Eybl Halle in Linz. Ridiculous. Time will tell how the saga will go on, I guess it will be pretty like the way mentioned above.
What's the special thing about that day? It's deadline day.
It means that today is the very last day for European football clubs to sign or sell players until the 1st of January. Normally it is a very busy day for managers, club owners and the media, but today there has not been going on that much. Except the maybe most sensational transfer since TM3 bought the rights for the UEFA Champions League (thanks to Rupert Murdoch). Alright, read it by yourself - from the BBC-News:
West Ham have pulled off a major coup by signing Argentina World Cup stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Striker Tevez, 22, and midfielder Mascherano, 22, join the Hammers from Brazilian side Corinthians on permanent deals for undisclosed fees. The Hammers are thought to have struck a deal with Media Sports Investments, who own the rights to the two players.
Tevez and Mascherano attracted interest by major European clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid or AC Milan. I am asking myself how a club like West Ham - maybe ranked something like that [------------------|------] within European top class - can afford international top stars like Tevez and Mascherano. The answer is like the British answer of everything: Roman Abramovich. It seems like the Russian billionaire (and 16th richest man on the planet Earth) is a friend of the owner from MSI and has thereby agreed some insidious business. The players are at West Ham right now and can adapt to the English way of football for at least a season. Afterwards they are poised to sign for Chelsea, which is the main toy of Abramovich. He spent like hundreds of millions of British pounds during the last three years in order to establish as the best football club in the world. Well, he succeeded in winning the last two Premier League titles, but he has yet failed to win the Champions League. In 2004 they lost to Liverpool and in 2005 they were owned by Spanish side Barcelona.
This is like U2 or Coldplay going on stage at the Intersport Eybl Halle in Linz. Ridiculous. Time will tell how the saga will go on, I guess it will be pretty like the way mentioned above.
Monday, August 28, 2006
SNG, fold, check, raise, ...
Lately there has been a real buzz about playing poker, especially Texas Hold'em. Well, I have to admit, I have been infected by that hype too. After watching many TV episodes of World Series of Poker (WSOP) I am now reading a book by David Sklansky and Mason Mallmuth with the title "Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players". It tells you everything about probabilities, hands you should fold, check or raise, tricks to impress or influence your opponents and getting used to your own style of how to play the game. At this site you can find some kinda weblog from my favourite professional poker player, Daniel Negreanu. He's very talkative and thereby manages to get behind the mind of nearly every of his opponents.
Alright, after finishing the book I will apply the learnt theory by playing online poker (sites like pokerstars.de, partypoker.com, pokerroom.com) and livetables with friends. Thereby I have been very successful at my first participation, after entering with 2€ stakes I left the table with 12€. Not that much, but I reinvested the money later that evening at the Ried-match against Altach and made 45€ out of those 10€ by betting on a victory of the team from Vorarlberg. It seems that I'm pretty much a gambler lately, huh?
Alright, after finishing the book I will apply the learnt theory by playing online poker (sites like pokerstars.de, partypoker.com, pokerroom.com) and livetables with friends. Thereby I have been very successful at my first participation, after entering with 2€ stakes I left the table with 12€. Not that much, but I reinvested the money later that evening at the Ried-match against Altach and made 45€ out of those 10€ by betting on a victory of the team from Vorarlberg. It seems that I'm pretty much a gambler lately, huh?
Monday, August 21, 2006
Mr. Williams in Vienna
Last Friday I've been to Vienna to watch the first of two concerts of Robbie Williams. I already bought the tickets last November but got them only ten days before the concerts. If I had not written an e-mail to the customer care, they probably would have never sent them to my place. I was accompanied by a friend of mine, her brother and her friend. We arrived at the Ernst Happel Stadium at about 6.15 PM, which was early enough in order to have aching feet afterwards. We were standing on the left side on the grass, quite in the middle of the pitch. I expected Orson (my colleague rojo wrote something about them in his blog) to be the warmup-band, but I was surprised by Basement Jaxx. A mixture of funk, soul and rock .. pretty suitable to warmup the crowd.
At 9 PM Mr. Williams entered the stage, and he looked pretty fucked up. His voice was not as good as I remembered it from the 2003 concert, but this was not very wicked. The show was phenomenal, starting with fireworks and a big show on the screen.
[setlist to be followed]
Right after the concert we went home cause we all were tired, on Saturday morning I went back home by train after a small breakfast with coffee and toasted bread.
At 9 PM Mr. Williams entered the stage, and he looked pretty fucked up. His voice was not as good as I remembered it from the 2003 concert, but this was not very wicked. The show was phenomenal, starting with fireworks and a big show on the screen.
[setlist to be followed]
Right after the concert we went home cause we all were tired, on Saturday morning I went back home by train after a small breakfast with coffee and toasted bread.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Catching up the missing time
From February to May I have been quite inactive here. Well, here are a few pictures showing what I was doing in the meantime.
In March I have been to England, watching the football match between Wigan Athletic and my favourite club Manchester United. Here you can find a travelouge from this short trip. Underneath you find a picture of mine (it was awfully cold this day, around 10C° with heavy winds) in front of the grandstand of the JJB stadium in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
In May we were celebrating our 5th final-exams-anniversery. Therefore me and Lisa organized a cosy meeting at the Kellerbräu in Ried. All but two former guys (one was on holiday, the other seems not to like us anymore) came, even two former teachers (religion and Italian) found their time to join us this evening. It was a very nice evening where many memories were shared again. *Sniff*, we have become old...
In the very beginning of June (on the 2nd of June) my best (female) friend was celebrating her 23rd birthday in Steyr. This was surely one of the most entertaining evenings in my whole life. I think I got to bed at about 8.15 AM the next day, slept for one hour or so and then got woken up by some other guys again. Don't ask me what I'm thinking about on the picture, it was already late. Maybe I was thinking about cutting my hair short again. Well, that's already done. Aww, yes - the other person on the picture is the lovely birthday girl.
In March I have been to England, watching the football match between Wigan Athletic and my favourite club Manchester United. Here you can find a travelouge from this short trip. Underneath you find a picture of mine (it was awfully cold this day, around 10C° with heavy winds) in front of the grandstand of the JJB stadium in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
In May we were celebrating our 5th final-exams-anniversery. Therefore me and Lisa organized a cosy meeting at the Kellerbräu in Ried. All but two former guys (one was on holiday, the other seems not to like us anymore) came, even two former teachers (religion and Italian) found their time to join us this evening. It was a very nice evening where many memories were shared again. *Sniff*, we have become old...
In the very beginning of June (on the 2nd of June) my best (female) friend was celebrating her 23rd birthday in Steyr. This was surely one of the most entertaining evenings in my whole life. I think I got to bed at about 8.15 AM the next day, slept for one hour or so and then got woken up by some other guys again. Don't ask me what I'm thinking about on the picture, it was already late. Maybe I was thinking about cutting my hair short again. Well, that's already done. Aww, yes - the other person on the picture is the lovely birthday girl.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Personal song of the year (so far)
Lately I've been listening quite a lot of music, mainly on Austrian music television called GoTV. There is one song (well, the album was out in December 2005) that I cannot stop hearing. It's called "You only live once" and it is performed by The Strokes. A bunch of guys from New York who were amongst the first so called "The *.*" revolution (later followed by White Stripes, Killers, Thrills, Hives, Flaming Lips, Bravery and many more).
What's so special about that song? Well, it starts like "Under Pressure" from Queen (I love the version with David Bowie) and then moves on very melodically and forthright. The video was directed by a famous director, forgot about his name. The band is stuck in a small room which gets filled with dirt und mud allover which finally drowns the band. The singer of The Strokes is named Julian Casablancas, classical new garage / independent rock haircut and a voice you have to get used to. The album is called "First Impressions of Earth" and was recorded in 2005. The first single was "Juicebox" (very untypical sound for the band), the second was "Heart in a Cage" (guitars allover). If you like alternative rock music, The Strokes are a band you have to listen.
What's so special about that song? Well, it starts like "Under Pressure" from Queen (I love the version with David Bowie) and then moves on very melodically and forthright. The video was directed by a famous director, forgot about his name. The band is stuck in a small room which gets filled with dirt und mud allover which finally drowns the band. The singer of The Strokes is named Julian Casablancas, classical new garage / independent rock haircut and a voice you have to get used to. The album is called "First Impressions of Earth" and was recorded in 2005. The first single was "Juicebox" (very untypical sound for the band), the second was "Heart in a Cage" (guitars allover). If you like alternative rock music, The Strokes are a band you have to listen.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Show > Football aka. RB-Ba$hing Part X
"Las Vegas will in die Champions League
Red Bull Salzburg bemüht sich mit dem Showmaster-Duo Trapattoni/Matthäus um Glamour und Erfolg
Von Daniel Pontzen, Salzburg
Das Feuerwerk nach dem Abpfiff war verraucht, als Giovanni Trapattoni den Presseraum betrat und deutlich machte, warum Red Bull Salzburg keinen geeigneteren Trainer als ihn hätte verpflichten können. Sein Team hatte sich durch ein glückliches 2:0 über den FC Zürich in die nächste Runde der Champions-League- Qualifikation gemogelt und die wahre Attraktion des Abends folgte erst jetzt. „Bringe nix pa-ta-pim, pa-ta-pim, pa-ta- pim“, kommentierte der italienische Startrainer mit ernster Miene das ansehnliche aber ineffiziente Kombinationsspiel des Gegners, und fügte in akzentfreiem Trapattonisch an: „Brauch nix ticke-tacke-tucke.“ Dann nahm er ein Blatt zur Hand und las zwei zuvor notierte Sätze ab: „Wir müsse de Rhythmus im Spiel hochhalte.“ Pause. „Wir dürfe nicht langsam spiele.“ Dann schaute er zu seinem Dolmetscher. Der nickte zufrieden.
An dem Auftritt Trapattonis, dessen Beruf inzwischen wohl eine Art Entertrainer ist, hätte sicher auch Dietrich Mateschitz seine helle Freude gehabt. Der milliardenschwere Gründer der Getränkefirma Red Bull, der sich vergangenes Jahr den Fußballklub Austria Salzburg zulegte, ihn umbenannte und ihm neue Farben verpasste, sieht Fußball wie die schon zuvor gesponserten Extremsportarten vor allem als Marketing-Tool: je mehr Spektakel, desto besser. Entsprechend wird die Show im Salzburger EM-Stadion in eine neue Dimension gehoben, wie sich beim ersten Saisonheimspiel am Mittwochabend zeigte. Sie ist nicht Teil des Fußballspiels, das Fußballspiel ist Teil der Show. Heraus kommt ein glitzerndes Event – und die synthetischste Variante von Fußball, die es in Europa bisher gegeben hat.
Vor dem Anpfiff hätte man leicht vergessen können, warum die im Durchschnitt auffällig jungen Zuschauer gekommen waren: Vor den Eingangstoren hatten BMX-Fahrer am Boden liegende Menschen übersprungen, innen starrte das Publikum gebannt auf einen Turner, der an einem Seil hängend vom Stadiondach hinunterschwebte, ehe ein Fallschirmspringer im Mittelkreis landete. Nicht nur, weil es an den Stadionkiosken Chips und Popcorn zu kaufen gab, erinnerte vieles an Sportveranstaltungen in den USA. Milder Techno wummerte vor dem Anpfiff aus den Lautsprechern, und die bunten Lichtkegel, die im Takt über die Tribüne hüpften, wurden auch während des Spiels nicht abgestellt. Las Vegas in Österreich.
Trapattoni und seinem Assistenten Lothar Matthäus, die so etwas wie das Showmaster-Duo bilden, kommen in dem Konzept große Bedeutung zu. Nicht nur, weil ihre Namen Glanz und ihre Statements mitunter Komik versprechen. Mateschitz erhofft sich von ihnen, den Klub „in fünf Jahren unter den Top 10 bis 15 in Europa“ zu etablieren. Aufmerksamkeit lässt sich mittelfristig nur mit Erfolg herstellen.
Ihre Rollen haben die Trainer inzwischen gefunden. Mittwochabend gestikulierte Trapattoni meist wild durch die Coaching-Zone, während Matthäus im Hintergrund blieb. Nach Halbzeit- und Schlusspfiff hielt der Assistent stets einigen Sicherheitsabstand zu Trapattoni – ganz so, also wolle er weder dessen Chefrolle in Frage stellen, noch wie ein nervender Schülerpraktikant an dessen Rockzipfel hängen. Auch auf einen Kommentar verzichtete Matthäus nach dem Spiel – selbstverordnete Schweigepflicht.
Um das ambitionierte Ziel ihres Geldgebers zu realisieren, nehmen die beiden keine Rücksicht auf nationale Belange. Gegen Zürich stand kein Österreicher auch nur eine Minute auf dem Platz. Eine funktionierende Einheit bildet das um Routiniers wie Thomas Linke, Niko Kovac und Alexander Zickler aufgebaute Team aber noch nicht. Der FC Valencia, gegen den es nun um den Einzug in die Champions League geht, dürfte derzeit mindestens eine Nummer zu groß sein.
Schadenfreude wäre den Salzburgern bei einem Scheitern gewiss. Aus Protest gegen den neuen Kurs haben einige Fans dem Klub den Rücken gekehrt und ein neues Austria Salzburg gegründet, das in der zweituntersten Liga kickt. Die meisten Anhänger aber haben sich mit dem neuen Event-Fußball arrangiert: „Die Vergangenheit war ein Vorgeschmack! Jetzt geht's erst richtig los“, war auf einem überdimensionalen Plakat zu lesen. Auch die beiden Trainer haben die Fans gleich mal mit Sprechchören gefeiert.
Trapattoni, der jahrzehntelang europäische Spitzenklubs trainierte, scheint sich ebenfalls mit den speziellen Rahmenbedingungen seiner neuen Aufgabe angefreundet zu haben. Ob das nicht ein bisschen viel Show sei, wird er zum Abschluss der Pressekonferenz gefragt. „Isse wie in Amerika“, antwortet Trapattoni nach kurzem Zögern und hebt dabei die Schultern. Dann lehnt er den Kopf zur Seite, weitet die Augen und lächelt: „Fußball isse heute große Geschäft. Isse große Theater.“ " (tagesspiegel, 8.8.06)
Red Bull Salzburg bemüht sich mit dem Showmaster-Duo Trapattoni/Matthäus um Glamour und Erfolg
Von Daniel Pontzen, Salzburg
Das Feuerwerk nach dem Abpfiff war verraucht, als Giovanni Trapattoni den Presseraum betrat und deutlich machte, warum Red Bull Salzburg keinen geeigneteren Trainer als ihn hätte verpflichten können. Sein Team hatte sich durch ein glückliches 2:0 über den FC Zürich in die nächste Runde der Champions-League- Qualifikation gemogelt und die wahre Attraktion des Abends folgte erst jetzt. „Bringe nix pa-ta-pim, pa-ta-pim, pa-ta- pim“, kommentierte der italienische Startrainer mit ernster Miene das ansehnliche aber ineffiziente Kombinationsspiel des Gegners, und fügte in akzentfreiem Trapattonisch an: „Brauch nix ticke-tacke-tucke.“ Dann nahm er ein Blatt zur Hand und las zwei zuvor notierte Sätze ab: „Wir müsse de Rhythmus im Spiel hochhalte.“ Pause. „Wir dürfe nicht langsam spiele.“ Dann schaute er zu seinem Dolmetscher. Der nickte zufrieden.
An dem Auftritt Trapattonis, dessen Beruf inzwischen wohl eine Art Entertrainer ist, hätte sicher auch Dietrich Mateschitz seine helle Freude gehabt. Der milliardenschwere Gründer der Getränkefirma Red Bull, der sich vergangenes Jahr den Fußballklub Austria Salzburg zulegte, ihn umbenannte und ihm neue Farben verpasste, sieht Fußball wie die schon zuvor gesponserten Extremsportarten vor allem als Marketing-Tool: je mehr Spektakel, desto besser. Entsprechend wird die Show im Salzburger EM-Stadion in eine neue Dimension gehoben, wie sich beim ersten Saisonheimspiel am Mittwochabend zeigte. Sie ist nicht Teil des Fußballspiels, das Fußballspiel ist Teil der Show. Heraus kommt ein glitzerndes Event – und die synthetischste Variante von Fußball, die es in Europa bisher gegeben hat.
Vor dem Anpfiff hätte man leicht vergessen können, warum die im Durchschnitt auffällig jungen Zuschauer gekommen waren: Vor den Eingangstoren hatten BMX-Fahrer am Boden liegende Menschen übersprungen, innen starrte das Publikum gebannt auf einen Turner, der an einem Seil hängend vom Stadiondach hinunterschwebte, ehe ein Fallschirmspringer im Mittelkreis landete. Nicht nur, weil es an den Stadionkiosken Chips und Popcorn zu kaufen gab, erinnerte vieles an Sportveranstaltungen in den USA. Milder Techno wummerte vor dem Anpfiff aus den Lautsprechern, und die bunten Lichtkegel, die im Takt über die Tribüne hüpften, wurden auch während des Spiels nicht abgestellt. Las Vegas in Österreich.
Trapattoni und seinem Assistenten Lothar Matthäus, die so etwas wie das Showmaster-Duo bilden, kommen in dem Konzept große Bedeutung zu. Nicht nur, weil ihre Namen Glanz und ihre Statements mitunter Komik versprechen. Mateschitz erhofft sich von ihnen, den Klub „in fünf Jahren unter den Top 10 bis 15 in Europa“ zu etablieren. Aufmerksamkeit lässt sich mittelfristig nur mit Erfolg herstellen.
Ihre Rollen haben die Trainer inzwischen gefunden. Mittwochabend gestikulierte Trapattoni meist wild durch die Coaching-Zone, während Matthäus im Hintergrund blieb. Nach Halbzeit- und Schlusspfiff hielt der Assistent stets einigen Sicherheitsabstand zu Trapattoni – ganz so, also wolle er weder dessen Chefrolle in Frage stellen, noch wie ein nervender Schülerpraktikant an dessen Rockzipfel hängen. Auch auf einen Kommentar verzichtete Matthäus nach dem Spiel – selbstverordnete Schweigepflicht.
Um das ambitionierte Ziel ihres Geldgebers zu realisieren, nehmen die beiden keine Rücksicht auf nationale Belange. Gegen Zürich stand kein Österreicher auch nur eine Minute auf dem Platz. Eine funktionierende Einheit bildet das um Routiniers wie Thomas Linke, Niko Kovac und Alexander Zickler aufgebaute Team aber noch nicht. Der FC Valencia, gegen den es nun um den Einzug in die Champions League geht, dürfte derzeit mindestens eine Nummer zu groß sein.
Schadenfreude wäre den Salzburgern bei einem Scheitern gewiss. Aus Protest gegen den neuen Kurs haben einige Fans dem Klub den Rücken gekehrt und ein neues Austria Salzburg gegründet, das in der zweituntersten Liga kickt. Die meisten Anhänger aber haben sich mit dem neuen Event-Fußball arrangiert: „Die Vergangenheit war ein Vorgeschmack! Jetzt geht's erst richtig los“, war auf einem überdimensionalen Plakat zu lesen. Auch die beiden Trainer haben die Fans gleich mal mit Sprechchören gefeiert.
Trapattoni, der jahrzehntelang europäische Spitzenklubs trainierte, scheint sich ebenfalls mit den speziellen Rahmenbedingungen seiner neuen Aufgabe angefreundet zu haben. Ob das nicht ein bisschen viel Show sei, wird er zum Abschluss der Pressekonferenz gefragt. „Isse wie in Amerika“, antwortet Trapattoni nach kurzem Zögern und hebt dabei die Schultern. Dann lehnt er den Kopf zur Seite, weitet die Augen und lächelt: „Fußball isse heute große Geschäft. Isse große Theater.“ " (tagesspiegel, 8.8.06)
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Regarding the Cans...
Another very good article considering the betrayal of football in Salzburg:
Red Bull Salzburg - FC Zürich 2:0 (1:0)
Red Bull Salzburg - FC Zürich 2:0 (1:0)
Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, 16.000 Zuschauer, Schiedsrichter Pieter Vink (NED)
Torfolge:
1:0 Tiffert (39.)
2:0 Zickler (56./Elfer)
Mit dem Betreten der papageienhaft illuminierten Heimstätte der Werbe-Legionärstruppe beginnt die Degradierung des Zuschauers zur klatschenden Schießbudenfigur. Sechzehntausend Marionetten lauschen dem Platzsprecher, dem eigentlich fettgedruckte Anführungszeichen gebühren, da Stimme und Wortwahl eher zum Starmania-Publikums-Warmup passen als auf den Fußballplatz. Eine super Stimmung herrscht und wir drücken "den Kickern natürlich ganz fest die Daumen", die aber erst in einer Stunde zu pompöser Pathos-Musik und Lasershow den "Rasen" betreten werden, der ebenso künstlich wie die ganze Atmosphäre in der Marketing-Hochburg zu Klessheim ist.
Nach dem Spiel, bei dem es auf den Tribünen erheblich besinnlicher zugeht als vorher und nachher, wird mit Pauken und Trompeten in Form von Feuerwerk und Lasershow ein routinierter und leidenschaftsloser Sieg mit Übermaß gefeiert. Als Fan der früheren Salzburger Austria verlasse ich das Stadion (zum garantiert letzten Mal) mit Ärger und Ekel im Bauch. Das riecht nicht mehr nach Frankfurter und Bier, das riecht nach Kaugummisaft. Das ist Jagerhofer-Mentalität, wo sie nichts verloren hat. Das ist Verrat am Fußball. (Marc, fm4.orf.at)
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Time to celebrate!
A few days ago I read on orf.at that many innovative corporations search through applicants' weblogs in order to gain insight to different private features like hobbies or party-habits. Well, because of that I cannot write about any details of the party in Graz I attended yesterday. But as you can imagine, it was great fun and it was deserved. Why?
Oh, well, forgot to say the most exciting fact: I passed my study on Monday with good success. You can call me "Mag. (FH)" from now on ;-)
Oh, well, forgot to say the most exciting fact: I passed my study on Monday with good success. You can call me "Mag. (FH)" from now on ;-)
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Happy Birthday - #23
- 2 + 3 = 5, which is (3 x 2) - (3 - 2).
- 33 - 22 = 23
- The Knights Templar had 23 Grand Masters, the last being Jacques de Molay.
- Alexander the Great was aged 23 when he cut the Gordian Knot.
- Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times when he was assassinated.
- Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes to the DNA of a child.
- 23 is one of "the numbers" on ABC's television show Lost.
- The human biorhythm is 23 days long.
- If you add up all the digits in 9/11/2001 you get 23.
- On a normal modern QWERTY keyboard, the 23rd letter W is right below and between 2 and 3.
- Michael Jordan's uniform number was 23 when he played for the Chicago Bulls.
(taken from wikipedia)
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Final exam, birthday, world cup and other catastrophies
Four more days until my diploma exam! Finally a thunderstorm, so the heat will hopefully give way from my room, which has had estimated 35C° the last few days. I hope this will make my sleep more comfortable this night.
p.s.: will be another boring birthday on Saturday (highlights were 2002, getting up at 0300 a.m. and going to the TÜPL in Allentsteig during my military service and 2003, working from 1800 p.m. until 0400 a.m. for the final presentation in accounting).
What else can I say? Argentina vs. Netherlands was one of the worst games so far, hardly no chances, no goals and most of the play going on in the midfield. Looking forward to Italy vs. Czech Republic tomorrow. My father got a ticket for this game and flew to Hamburg yesterday. Do I envy him? Yes, definitely. But in 2010 I will probably watch some games. Hopefully...
Fernando Torres, player of Clúb de Atletíco Madrid & Spain - up and coming superstar. Has got everything a top striker needs to succeed. And he's still only 22 years old. There will be plenty more to hear from him, I promise!
p.s.: will be another boring birthday on Saturday (highlights were 2002, getting up at 0300 a.m. and going to the TÜPL in Allentsteig during my military service and 2003, working from 1800 p.m. until 0400 a.m. for the final presentation in accounting).
What else can I say? Argentina vs. Netherlands was one of the worst games so far, hardly no chances, no goals and most of the play going on in the midfield. Looking forward to Italy vs. Czech Republic tomorrow. My father got a ticket for this game and flew to Hamburg yesterday. Do I envy him? Yes, definitely. But in 2010 I will probably watch some games. Hopefully...
Fernando Torres, player of Clúb de Atletíco Madrid & Spain - up and coming superstar. Has got everything a top striker needs to succeed. And he's still only 22 years old. There will be plenty more to hear from him, I promise!
Friday, June 02, 2006
People going nuts
This mail just came through the FH-mail-allocator (I wonder if ANYBODY except me read the whole mail. Well okay, I'm bored):
hallihallo,
ich habe vor drei wochen einer studentin (leider vergessen was sie
studiert) mein ladegerät geborgt, da ich auf meinem laptop versehtlich
draufgestiegen bin, und er einen totalschaden gehabt hat.
dieser ist gerade jetzt repariert zurückgekommen - gutes timing, denn wie
beschlossen beim fm4 aufsatzwettschreiben zum thema lichter mitzumachen,
und zum niedermeyer gefahren wäre um ein ersatzgerät zu bitten, haben sie
mir gesagt dass er gerade gekommen ist.
zum thema ich wollte jetzt ein neues kaufen, doch das geht nicht, und
gleich einen neuen zu kaufen, wegen einem ladegerät würde meine
konsumkritik aufheben. darum bitte ich diejenige person, mir das ladegerät
bis spätestens heute abend vorbeizubringen, bergstrasse 20/4/4 oder
spätestens morgen bahnhof sbg 7 uhr früh. thxxxs.
des weiteren möchte ich noch anbringen, dass ich meinen dodgy mp3 player
in der fh verloren habe. er is zwar abgefuckt aber gut, ohne diesen gehe
ich nicht laufen, weil laufen ja volle fad ist aber mit musik
superherrlich. es würde gegen meine konsumkritik sprechen, wenn ich mir
einen neuen kaufen würde. also du, ich bitte dich ganz inständig diesen
roten dodgy mp3 player an den infopoint zu bringen. oder willst du
verantwortung darüber tragen, dass ich blad, schiarch und total
unausgeglichen werde, weil ich ohne musik nicht laufe.
des weiteren möchte ich dich alle dtv plus mma studenten, die durch den
hitzigen mailverkehr, sich bemusst gefühlt haben, mir ein mail zu
schreiben, bitte, schickt mir alle mails die in meine mailsbox gelandet
sind wieder. ich brauche sie - sie wahren wegweiser - zum aufsatz der am
wochenende geschrieben wird. besonders möchte ich die person aufrufen, die
durch die wörtliche stereowatschn und dann noch in doulbysourround ein
wahres feuer ausgelöst hat, mir diese zu mailen.
da es bei diesem text namens luzifer (lat. licht) sehr autobiographisch
ist, sollen sich personen, die mir in der fh nahe stehen oder mich durch
negative- oder positive emails in irgendeine Richtung gelenkt haben, sich
melden, ob ich deinen Namen verwenden darf, ob du einen Decknamen willst
den du selber aussuchst, oder überhaupt und sowieso, oder ob ich dein mail
verwenden darf oder nicht.
überhaupt möchte ich alle bitten, die mir ein Mail mal geschrieben habe -
und auf dass ich geantwortet habe, mir dieses nocheinmal zu mailen - alle
anderen habe ich mir nicht durchgelesen. bitttttttttttttte sehr sehr sehr
wichtig.
es wird ein sehr offener erlebnisbericht rund um fh, medien, russische
agenten, dalailama, liebe, neurosen, psychosen, homosexualität, drogen,
zerstörung, armut, globalisierung, tabus, gesellschaft, nasenbohren,
politik, polizei,musik, vervolgungswahn, alkoholmissbrauch, sex, musik,
masturbation, träume, werte, ideale,freunschaft, esstörungen, sport,
kreativität, revolution, falcher yoga lehrer,esoterik, komische zahlen,
.... es wird keine antworten geben aber eine menge fragen aufwerfen,....
montag punkt:00:00 auf meiner website online gestellt.
mit freundlichen grüssen,
elisabeth hauer
ps: alle Hauptdarsteller werden heute persönlich noch kontaktiert ob sie
die Rolle annehmen. Falls wir etwas gewinnen, wird das Preisgeld zur
Hälfte irgendwohin gespendet und mit der anderen eine lustige Party
gemacht.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Panini-Fever
It seems that the so called Panini-Fever did not even stop before politicians. As I read in an article from ORF teletext earlier this afternoon, a German secretary from Nordrhein-Westfalen was caught arranging and sticking new pictures into his album - during an important meeting concerning Hartz IV (the German unemployment-regulations).
As you can see above - I already finished some weeks ago. But then Panini, the manufacturer of the stickers, decided to reprint Jens Lehmann. The new #1 goalpeeker in the German team was the first player ever to be reprinted as an extra sticker. Finally I got it last week, it was an enclosure in a magazine called "Just Kick It".
As you can see above - I already finished some weeks ago. But then Panini, the manufacturer of the stickers, decided to reprint Jens Lehmann. The new #1 goalpeeker in the German team was the first player ever to be reprinted as an extra sticker. Finally I got it last week, it was an enclosure in a magazine called "Just Kick It".
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
I quit playing games (not with my heart)
I'm in some kind of nostalgia-mood right now and was reflecting some of the best PC games I ever played. After talking to some friend, it came out that we mostly liked the same games. Hereupon I tried to make a list of my favourite PC games, which you can find below - alright, I excluded all the sports-games and online-games and made it SP only:
01. Half-Life (1998)
02. Privateer 2 (1996)
03. Jagged Alliance 2 (1999)
04. Baldur's Gate (1998)
05. Civilisation 2 (1996)
06. Diablo (1996)
07. Age of Empires (1997)
08. System Shock 2 (1999)
09. Anno 1602 (1997)
10. Max Payne (2001)
Well, Half-Life was the best FPS ever and opened the way for the most frequently played online game ever, Counterstrike. Privateer 2 worsened my grades in school, so did most of the other games. Since Jagged Alliance 2 and its addons (Unfinished Business, Wildfire) there has not been a single game, that I would call perfect - both entertaining and breathtaking.
I wonder if I will ever play a PC game from the beginning until its end again ... maybe Diablo 3, maybe JA 3 - but it's still not sure that they will be published some day. Games scene has changed pretty much since I actively stopped playing. Nowadays it's more about GFX and coolness of the characters than about gameplay or storyline - at least I think so. At least, there is still hope when I think of relatively new games like San Andreas or F.E.A.R. (latter I was never able to play because of the configuration of myPC, that ist lightyears behind the minimum requirements of this graphical FPS).
01. Half-Life (1998)
02. Privateer 2 (1996)
03. Jagged Alliance 2 (1999)
04. Baldur's Gate (1998)
05. Civilisation 2 (1996)
06. Diablo (1996)
07. Age of Empires (1997)
08. System Shock 2 (1999)
09. Anno 1602 (1997)
10. Max Payne (2001)
Well, Half-Life was the best FPS ever and opened the way for the most frequently played online game ever, Counterstrike. Privateer 2 worsened my grades in school, so did most of the other games. Since Jagged Alliance 2 and its addons (Unfinished Business, Wildfire) there has not been a single game, that I would call perfect - both entertaining and breathtaking.
I wonder if I will ever play a PC game from the beginning until its end again ... maybe Diablo 3, maybe JA 3 - but it's still not sure that they will be published some day. Games scene has changed pretty much since I actively stopped playing. Nowadays it's more about GFX and coolness of the characters than about gameplay or storyline - at least I think so. At least, there is still hope when I think of relatively new games like San Andreas or F.E.A.R. (latter I was never able to play because of the configuration of myPC, that ist lightyears behind the minimum requirements of this graphical FPS).
Sunday, May 28, 2006
empty as a can
Believe it or not, there can sometimes still be some sarcasm within the articles of the Salzburger Nachrichten, which seemed to be powered by some energy drink after former Austria Salzburg was taken over by its owner, a smart local billionaire .
"Spieler sind wie Dose leer"
27. Mai 2006
HELMUT SCHLIESSELBERGER
"Spieler sind wie Dose leer"
27. Mai 2006
HELMUT SCHLIESSELBERGER
Geheimnis! Die strittigen Punkte im Red-Bull-Trainer-Vertragspoker waren: Red Bull bestand darauf, dass Lothar Matthäus seine Tochter Viola auf Rosa umtaufen lässt. Trapattoni sollte sich verpflichten, aus Corporate-Identity-Gründen stets nur "Spieler sind wie Dose leer" zu brabbeln.
Wie geht es bei Red Bull weiter? Bei der WM erwirbt Red Bull David Beckham um 100 Mill. Euro. Der Gemeinderat benennt den stadionnahen Stadtteil Taxham in Beckham um, weil Beckham das Wort Tax (Steuer) nicht mehr hören mag.
Kurz darauf kauft Red Bull Ronaldo. Für Ronaldos dringendes Wohnbedürfnis (Villa samt Garten) widmet Bürgermeister Schaden flugs 250.000 m2 Grünland in Bauland um.
Ende Juni überredet Red Bull Zinedine Zidane, seine Karriere doch zu verlängern. Der Trick: Es gelingt, Zidane mit Fotos von Thomas Winklhofer und KH Grasser zu überzeugen, dass Red Bull haarwuchsfördernd wirkt. Dann kauft man Oliver Kahn und Jens Lehmann, um Ruhe in die Mannschaft zu bringen. Beiden wird erklärt, dass nur der bessere von ihnen Nummer zwei hinter Heinz Arzberger werden kann.
Kurz darauf erste Krisen: Beckham ist verärgert, als er merkt, dass das Stadion in Wals steht und nicht, wie er dachte, in Wales. Zidane fragt jeden Tag, warum ihm keine Haare wachsen, obwohl er 14 Dosen Red Bull am Tag trinkt.
Christian Klien verliert sein Formel-1-Cockpit und wird als Zeugwart bei Red Bull versorgt. Beckham ist zufrieden: "My shoes have never been so klien."
In der Champions-League-Quali verliert Salzburg gegen den Dritten der Färöer-Liga zwei Mal mit 0:5. Das Team müsse erst zusammenfinden, heißt es. Saisonziel sei das Erreichen von Platz drei in der Meisterschaft. Nach Auftaktniederlagen gegen Altach, Ried und Mattersburg wird der Plan aufgegeben, Zidane, Beckham und Ronaldo auch bei Red Bull New York spielen und nach jedem Spiel mit einer eigens angeschafften Concorde hin- und herzuschicken. Christian Klien wird neuer Einser-Tormann.
Neue Verstärkung: Red Bull gibt auf Vermittlung von Kurt Jara die Verpflichtung des "besten Fußballers der Welt" bekannt. Stutzig macht, dass der Superstar nach Körpergewicht bezahlt werden will. Maradona kommt dann gar nicht. Er gibt an, etwas missverstanden zu haben, als ihm Raini Fendrich sagte, in Salzburg gebe es vier Monate im Jahr überall Schnee.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Prost! Cheers! Salute! Vashe zdorovie!
Albanisch: Gëzuar!
Arabisch: Shereve!
Armenisch: Genatsoot!
Baluchi (Iran): Vashi!
Baskisch: Osasuna!
Bretonisch: Iermat!
Bulgarisch: Na zdrave!
Chinesisch: Gom bui! (Kantonesisch), Gan bei! (Mandarin)
Dänisch: Skål!
Englisch: Cheers!
Estnisch: Terviseks!
Finnisch: Kippis!
Französisch: Santé!
Georgisch: Vakhtanguri!
Griechisch: Jámas!
Grönländisch: Kasugta!
Hawaianisch: Mahalu!
Hebräisch: Le'chájim!
Hindi (Indien): Mubarik!
Holländisch: Proost!, Op uw gezonheid!
Indonesisch, Malayisch: Selamat minum!
Gälisch (Irland, Schottland): Sláinte!
Isländisch: Skål!
Italienisch: Salute!
Japanisch: Kanpai!
Jiddisch: Mazel tov!
Katalanisch: Salut!
Lettisch: Uz veselibu!
Libanesisch: Kesak!
Littauisch: I sueikata!
Maltesisch: Sacha! Aviva!
Nigerianisch: Mogba!
Norwegisch: Skål!
Persisch: Salam ati!
Polnisch: (Na) zdrowie!
Portugiesisch: Saúde! (Galizisch), Tim-tim! (Brasilien)
Rätoromanisch: Viva!
Rumänisch: Noroc!
Russisch: Vashe zdorovie!
Schwedisch: Skål!
Serbokroatisch: ´ivjeli!
Somalisch: Auguryo!
Spanisch: Salud!
Tagalog (Philippinen): Mabuhay!
Thailändisch: Chokdee!
Tschechisch: Na zdraví!
Türkisch: Serefe!
Ungarisch: Egészségére!
Urdu (Pakistan): Djam!
Walisisch: Iechyd da!
(thanks to bier-lexikon.de)
Arabisch: Shereve!
Armenisch: Genatsoot!
Baluchi (Iran): Vashi!
Baskisch: Osasuna!
Bretonisch: Iermat!
Bulgarisch: Na zdrave!
Chinesisch: Gom bui! (Kantonesisch), Gan bei! (Mandarin)
Dänisch: Skål!
Englisch: Cheers!
Estnisch: Terviseks!
Finnisch: Kippis!
Französisch: Santé!
Georgisch: Vakhtanguri!
Griechisch: Jámas!
Grönländisch: Kasugta!
Hawaianisch: Mahalu!
Hebräisch: Le'chájim!
Hindi (Indien): Mubarik!
Holländisch: Proost!, Op uw gezonheid!
Indonesisch, Malayisch: Selamat minum!
Gälisch (Irland, Schottland): Sláinte!
Isländisch: Skål!
Italienisch: Salute!
Japanisch: Kanpai!
Jiddisch: Mazel tov!
Katalanisch: Salut!
Lettisch: Uz veselibu!
Libanesisch: Kesak!
Littauisch: I sueikata!
Maltesisch: Sacha! Aviva!
Nigerianisch: Mogba!
Norwegisch: Skål!
Persisch: Salam ati!
Polnisch: (Na) zdrowie!
Portugiesisch: Saúde! (Galizisch), Tim-tim! (Brasilien)
Rätoromanisch: Viva!
Rumänisch: Noroc!
Russisch: Vashe zdorovie!
Schwedisch: Skål!
Serbokroatisch: ´ivjeli!
Somalisch: Auguryo!
Spanisch: Salud!
Tagalog (Philippinen): Mabuhay!
Thailändisch: Chokdee!
Tschechisch: Na zdraví!
Türkisch: Serefe!
Ungarisch: Egészségére!
Urdu (Pakistan): Djam!
Walisisch: Iechyd da!
(thanks to bier-lexikon.de)
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!
82cm snow cover, 105% over month's average. What you see on the left hand side is my alleyway in Ried. Yesterday there was a civil defense alert because of the snow masses. Right now it's not snowing anymore, but due to colder weather it's still everywhere. Well I do not care, because TV programme is good and I have not run out of food or drinks ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)